Review – Elderwood Academy Scroll & Codex

I’ve been a huge fan of Elderwood Academy’s products from the first time I laid my eyes on them a bit over a year ago. The first time was in picture form when they had sent out the Kickstarter announcement for the Scroll & Codex dice tower and tray. Then, at PAX East, I finally got to take a peek at the physical products, though they were still working out some kinks with the Scroll. Now I’ve got my own set, and I couldn’t be happier with the final product.

The Scroll & Codex is actually comprised of two different Elderwood products that are meant to be used in conjunction with one another, the Codex Dice Tower and the Scroll Rolling Tray. Each can be purchased and used separately, but they’re really meant to be a combo team of luxury dice rolling. You can actually order your own as of this month. The Codex starts at $95 and can be customized to be made with different wood, different color leather, custom foil artwork, and cap art. The Scroll is similar, starts at $60, and lets you choose different frame designs.

The set Elderwood sent me to take a look at is made with cherry and maple, with red leather that has the Spellcircle pattern in silver foil. The set also has the Spellcircle pattern etched into the Codex’s cap and Scroll’s frame. The whole thing is stored is a red cloth drawstring bag with Elderwood’s logo emblazoned in gold on it.

The beauty of the Scroll & Codex is how the products are made to work together. The Scroll can be disassembled, rolled up, and placed into the Codex for each storage. The Codex’s cap is held on with rare earth magnets to keep everything safely inside until use.

When you’re ready to roll (I really can’t help myself sometimes. Sorry, not sorry.) just uncap the Codex, slide out the scroll, secure the frame, then twist the bottom cap of the Codex to reveal the opening that the dice come out of. Toss dice in the top and you’re good to go!

The craftsmanship of both products is outstanding. They’re sturdy, yet light weight and the attention to detail is out of this world. Between the wood, leather, and laser cut designs they also smell damn fine, too. The whole combo takes a few seconds to fully set up, making it easy bring along with you to those late night RPG sessions or game nights away from home. My kids and I have been using our set a ton already.

Elderwood may be fairly new to the scene of luxury wooden accessories, but they’ve quickly shown that they’re a force to be reckeoned with. With quality wooden products that won’t break the bank, you can’t go wrong.

Media personality Rob Kalajian has been a staple in the board game world for many years. As a former writer for Purple Pawn and the owner of A Pawn’s Perspective, Rob focuses on board game reviews, events, and news. A self-proclaimed geek, Rob loves all things toys and games and even helps raise his four kids in his spare time.